Process of making conduit outlet-boxes.



Patented Apr. I, I902.

w. F'. BOSSERT. PROCESS OF MAKING CUNDUIT OUTLET BOXES.

(Application filed. Sept. 16, 1901.)

(No llodel.)

UNrrn TATES ATENT FlFlCE.

WILLIAM F. BOSSERT, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOSSERT ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF UTICA, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF MAKING CONDUIT OUTLET-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 696,709, dated April 1, 1902. Application filed September 16, 1901- Serial No. 75,654. (No specimens.)

T 610% whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM I Bossnnr, residing at Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Processes of Making Conduit Outlet-Boxes,of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to a process of constructing ductile'metal outlet-boxes employed :0 in systems of interior conduits for buildings, which are struck up or drawn out by a series of progressive operations by means of dies. In the manufacture of such articles to meet the competition of business a superior box I has to be made, the operations necessary to its construction have to be reduced to the lowest limit,and improved means are required in order to produce the final results with the least amountof waste of material and cost of labor.

In the present invention a flat piece of thin ductile metal is drawn into a shape having side walls with a rim extending around the same at right angles and a bottom. By other operations it is further pressed and the main portions of the rim trimmed off, leaving small extensions to serve as locking-ears for the cover. By another operation the box-form is forced through a special die, by which the said ears are supported and protected at right angles to the walls of the box while the upper edges of the box are drawn upward higher than the upper face of the said ears into somewhat ragged edges. Subsequently the 5 box is passed under a grinding-machine and the said drawn-up ragged edges are ground off smooth and even with the said upper surfaces of the ears. The box-form is then forced through another die in such manner as to draw the said ears upward into the same plane with the walls of which they form a part, and by another operation the ears are perforated for the reception of cotter-pins.

In case the boxes are to be perforated or partially perforated for the admission of conduit-pipes the last operation effects this result. By means of this process I am enabled to produce a superior outlet-box in a very expeditious manner without breakages or waste of material. In all such processes as I am aware of, and I have been a pioneer in the manufacture of these articles, there has been a loss in a part of the successive operations owing to the difficulty in preventing the ears referred to from being broken off and the box 5 5 abandoned or rendered inferior during the operation of surfacing the box edges and final operations; but by the process now described the ears are preserved and the waste reduced to a minimum.

The invention also relates to the outlet-box made by the within-described process.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the invention, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively face and edge views of the blank from which the box is formed. Figs. 3 and 4 are top and side views of the partly-formed box. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectionaland plan views of forming-dies with a partly-formed box between them. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively crossseetions on lines y y and z z of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a sectional View of two dies to illustrate the bending of the box-ears. Figs. 10 and 11 are a plan and a sectional side View, respectively, of a completed box. Figs. 12, 13, let, 15, and 16 are views to illustrate the formation of a cover for the box, and Figs.

17 and 18are a plan and a side view of a box with its cover locked on.

In the drawings; (t represents a piece of thin sheet ductile metal of the shape for drawing up into a box. It is placed across a lower die, and an upper die forces it into the lower die and produces a form A, such as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, having four walls I), a bottom e, and a flange c at right angles to the walls, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The

form A by another operation may have the walls drawn out to make it deeper and have the rim trimmed off close to the walls, leav- 9o ing, however, portions to form two or more ears (I. It is not necessary to refer to all of the minor operations, some of which may be partial duplicates of one another, as it will be understood by those familiar with the art 9 5 that it may be better to effect one result in an article by two operations than to perform the whole by one operation, as asecond oper-' ation may carry a detail with it that could not be performed by the first.

point in the manipulation it becomes necessary to make the edges of the box form a At a certain 10o square and smooth in order that the boxcover may fit on tightly, as the edges are at this stage uneven. As a preliminary to this operation the form A is forced through a die 0, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in order that the edges 9 may be drawn out above the face or upper surface of the ears cl, as ordinarily there is not sufficient stock above the said face to finish evenly and smoothly all the way around; but in order to effect this means have to be provided to protect the ears from injury.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the lower die C, whose area f is slightly smaller than the boxform A to be forced therethrough, and on two opposite sides portions d are cut through the die in the shape of the ears. The upper die B is made to fit into the upper part of the box-form and has projections 15 t on two opposite sides, which fit into the passages d of the lower die. The boxform is to be placed between the dies, so that the ears (1 are over the passages d and as the upper die B descends the projectionst bear upon the ears (1 and protect them while the walls of the form are drawn up into edges resembling p in Figs. '7 and 8, so that there is sufficient stock above the upper surfaces of the ears d. The box-form A is then brought to a grinding-machine and the rough irregular contour edges are ground off smooth and even with the upper surfaces of the ears. Subsequently the ears are turned up, so as to be in a plane with the walls of the box, and this is done as shown by Fig. 9, in which the upper die D fits into the lower die E. The box-form e is placed in position, as shown in full lines, and as the die reaches the position shown in dotted lines 6 and e the ears d, which are at right angles to the walls 1), are drawn up into the position 61 and 61 and as the die D carries box-form through the lower die the ears are brought up straight, and when the boxform emerges from the dies the ears are smooth and shapely. Perforations g are made in the ears, preferably by punches, and the two ears of one side can be punched at the same time. If the walls or bottom of the boxes are to be weakened in circular lines, so that portions 1 ner shown and claimed in an application for patent allowed me August 13, 1901, Serial No. 68,996, and this is shown by the dotted lines circles in Figs. 10 and 11.

To form a cover for such a box as has been hereinbet'ore described, a piece of thin sheet ductile metal is cut into the same shape, having the rounded extensions h, then pressed into the form shown by Figs. 13, 14, and finally a round hole mis cut through the center of the shape, and the slots are punched through opposite the extensions h.

Figs. 17 and 18 show the completed cover G upon the box A, the slots 7t fitting over the upright ears 6 and with spring or cotter pins 3 through the perforations g to hold the cover in place.

By this construction all screws and threaded holes are avoided and a simple economical box produced.

It will be understood that while I have illustrated the process in connection with a fourwalled box that the same process can be applied to the formation of a round or any other shaped box.

I claim as my invention- 1. The herein-described process of forming an outlet-box for interior conduits from a thin fiat plate of ductile metal, which consists in first forming the plate with a depressed central portion and an outwardly-turned marginal flange, then bending up portions of said flange While holding other portions outwardly bent to form ears, and then grinding off said upwardly-bent portions.

2. The herein-described process of forming an outlet-box for interior conduits from a thin fiat plate of ductile metal, which consists in first forming the plate with a depressed central portion and an outwardly-turned marginal fiange, then bending up portions of said fiange while holding other portions outwardly bent to form ears, then grinding off said upwardly-bent portions, and then bending the ears upward to the plane of the sides of the box.

,In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 3d day of September, 1901.

WILLIAM F. BOSSER'I.

Witnesses:

GEo. WILLIS PIERCE, VICTOR M. BERTHOLD. 

